Published 20 July 2013.
Hosted on NZFVC website with permission of the authors.

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"Domestic violence and child abuse represent significant threats to whānau ora. Conversely, the weakening or loss of whānau ties can increase the vulnerability of whānau members to domestic violence and child abuse. Thus enhancing whānau ora in the context of domestic violence and child abuse is both a high priority and a significant challenge.

Te Whakaruruhau Māori Women’s Refuge has been providing safe housing, support and advocacy to women and children for over two decades and has become a key agency in family violence networks in Kirikiriroa. The development of the Whānau Ora Wellbeing Service, the focus of this evaluation, was a logical extension of Refuge services as Te Whakaruruhau broadened its interventions from an initial focus on safe housing to advocacy within the community, from a focus on crisis to supporting women and children to make a successful transition to violence‐free lives in the community, and from advocating for
women and children in the context of Crown and other services to advocating for them in the context of whānau, hapū and iwi.
The aim of the Whānau Ora Wellbeing Service is “to strengthen and achieve whānau ora through interventions which empower (whānau) to live their lives free from violence (Te Whakaruruhau, p.4). It is based on an assumption “that whānau empowered are whānau who can manage and reduce crisis while increasing opportunities and pathways to success” (Te Whakaruruhau, 2010, p.3).

The Māori and Psychology Research Unit was commissioned in mid‐2011 to conduct this evaluation. It is based on ten case studies of clients in the programme, interviews with Te
Whakaruruhau staff and key informants in allied agencies, and participant‐observation of Refuge activities.

The case studies provide insights into the lived experience of women dealing with violence, their attempts to protect themselves and their children, and their experiences of – and
reflections upon – the Whānau Ora Wellbeing programme. The case studies reveal all the women to have experienced significant physical assaults, threats of assaults, emotional abuse and intimidation. Even though some of the women sustained serious injuries, when they described the impact of the abuse, the women typically highlighted the damage it had
done to them emotionally, psychologically and spiritually. The use of alcohol and/or other drugs to self‐medicate against the psychic pain of the abuse featured in several case studies.
Women also gave accounts of how the violence had affected their children. Often, recognising this impact was an important factor in their decision to seek help." (from the Executive Summary).